Digital cameras buying guide

By Mark Anders

Whether it’s a perfect sunset over that alpine lake or an action shot of your troop drenching the Scoutmaster with a bucket of icy river water, capturing the moment lets your memories live on in vibrant color.

Not so long ago, you had to carry lots of film and have plenty of cash to get your pictures developed. But things have changed. Just plug the digital camera into your computer. It’s like your own home photo lab.

“Digital makes photography easier and cheaper than ever before,” says professional adventure photographer Corey Rich. “Your ability to grow as a photographer is much greater now because you can see the photos instantly and there’s no limit to how many you can shoot.”

Sounds simple enough. First, though, you need a camera. Digital technology is changing so quickly these days it can be tough to keep it all straight. So we asked Rich to give us tips on how to shop for a new digital camera. Here’s what you need to know.

SIZE MATTERS

“The idea behind making great pictures is having the camera with you all the time,” Rich says. “If a camera is big and cumbersome, more often than not it’ll get left behind.”

Stick with pocket-size cameras, also known as point-and-shoots. Look for a camera that’s compact but still packed with plenty of features and a quality lens.

BE IMAGE CONSCIOUS

Digital images are made up of millions of tiny dots or pixels. In general, the more megapixels, the better the image quality. So that’s one common way to compare digital cameras. If you’re looking for quality prints from your images — especially those larger than 8 inches by 10 inches — avoid cameras with just 1 to 3 megapixels.

“Bottom line: you shouldn’t even consider a camera with less than 4 megapixels,” Rich says.

ZOOM ZOOM

If you plan on taking photos of wildlife, consider getting a camera with an adjustable zoom lens. Look for one with a minimum optical zoom of 3x. Some cameras boast of having “digital zooms,” but that just means the camera can crop the image down — not actually zoom in closer to the subject. For shooting close-ups, make sure your camera also has a macro focus mode.

DON’T LAG

One of the most frustrating problems with some digital cameras is a thing called lagtime, or the amount of time the camera takes to shoot the picture once you’ve pressed the button. It might not seem like a big deal, but even a second of lagtime is a big bummer when shooting action shots.

Pick a camera with a burst mode that lets you shoot multiple pictures in a row.

MAKE IT EASY ON ME

“Look for the most automated camera you can find,” Rich says. “It just makes your life easier.”

There’s nothing glorious about fiddling with manual controls, and fortunately many cameras let you choose from preprogrammed functions that will provide quality photos from most any environment or situation.

DURABILITY IS THE DEAL

If you plan to bring your camera on outings, look for one that is dust- and shock-resistant — maybe even waterproof if you’re around water a lot. If the camera says it’s weatherproof it should be able to handle rainstorms but not underwater photography. Also, some cameras can be paired with protective sleeves or cases for added durability.

“Most point-and-shoots are really designed to handle abuse,” he says.

WHAT IT COSTS

Prices continue to drop on digital cameras, so you should be able to find a quality one for less than $200. Look for better deals online but stay away from used cameras, like some you will find on eBay.

Digital cameras store images on memory cards (also known as flashcards). Your camera will probably come with one, but you’ll want to buy at least one or two extras so you can shoot lots of photos without always having to delete or download shots to empty your card. Rich recommends sticking with name-brand cards such as those made by Lexar and stick with flashcards with one gigabyte of memory or less.

“Don’t get lured into buying gigantic flash cards,” Rich warns. “It’s better to buy two. That way if one card breaks or gets wet, your pictures on the other card will be safe.”

Try a digital movie camera, you can take the footage and freeze-frame for the best of all movie and still picture options. I often use it on special outings (BWCA, 2010 Jamboree) so the boys have a great record of their experiance. I use the JVC Vario; it has a great zoom and microphone.

Point-and-shoots are good for unofficial, informal pictures while camping but if you are the photographer for something the press cameras look professional and take better pictures then the smaller point-and-shoots.

If using a digital camera, make sure you have a camera quality flash card; it makes a big difference. They do cost more but your follow up pictures when shooting action shots will not blur like they do with a basic flash card. I really like Sandisk Extreem. Hope this helps if you’ve experienced this problem.

Megapixiels are not everything. The sensor size affects how much detail a camera can capture. For example, you can have a 12 megapixel camera, but if it doesn’t capture enough detail, than you don’t get what you expect from a 12 megapixel.

C143 EasyShare Kodak Camera is an awesome camera! It has 14 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and it takes great pictures with a long-lasting battery! Automatically adjusts its setting to capture the scene that you are in!

If you are going to be taking pictures in caves or hiking with a lot of dust and dirt, it would be better to get a camera with an internal lens. The zoom isn’t as great, but then the dirt won’t get stuck in between lenses.

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40, and although it is large
(18 ounces), I like it because the image quality is very good and has 24x of optical zoom (25-600mm equivalent). I look forward to taking it camping and getting some cool photographs.

A digital camera would be nice, but considering some of the trips I go on, I don’t know if could survive! I just use those Kodak disposable cameras. Once I get back from my trip, I take it to Wal-Mart or Walgreens and get it developed and put on a CD, so I can have a digital copy on my computer to send to people or post on facebook.

I have the Nikon D5000 ($650)it is my favorite digital camera.I also have a Nikon Coolpix S8100 ($250) and a Canon Canon PowerShot SD1300 ($100).All of them are very well made and I highly recommend them.

I have a Panasonic Lumix zs1. It is really great. ($200-$250)
It has 12x-21.4x optical zoom, depending on what resolution you have it set at. It has resolution, quality, white balance, timer, sunset, fireworks, and many other great settings. It is about the size of your whole palm, and about 1 1/2 inches thick. It is a very good camera for its price. I love it!

Many newer digital cameras provide a large LCD screen as its only viewfinder. It looks great indoors. But in bright sunlight, it is virtually useless. It becomes very difficult to see as the LCD image gets washed out by the bright light. Trust me on this one, be sure to get a camera that also has an optical viewfinder you can look through.

I got a Canon Powershot for only $1 at Goodwill, an it takes great pictures, they don’t even go grainy when you zoom in really far.
Cybershots are good, though their zoom is wimpy at 3X and they look weird

The Power shot D10 is great:
SHOCK PROOF
WATER PROOF
FREEZ PROOF
good burst mode to capture fast stuff
12.1 megapicles
lots of diffrent modes to use and program if you bother to learn how to use it
only X3 optical zoom though.
$350
GREAT CAMERA